Online Summer School

Every year we get questions about taking online courses or classes in other districts during the summers and as long as it is an accredited school this is completely fine. So, for example, if your parents are divorced and you go to spend the summer with a parent who lives in another state you can take your summer school class at the school near your other parent and then transfer the credit back to us. Or for those students who plan on traveling a great deal over the summer, taking an online course might be more in line with your needs. Again, in Worthington we try to be very flexible in helping all students meet their academic goals so, as long as the school you are taking classes from is an accredited school, we will transfer those credits to Worthington.

Students and parents often ask me which online schools they can use and again, if it is accredited it is fine. The school we have had the most students utilize in the past has been TRECA due to the cost effectiveness of their credits. But again, that can change from year to year and so I encourage you to search for the schools and programs that will best meet your individual needs. I do know that TRECA summer school registration has now opened for the year, so if you were planning to take a TRECA summer school class, please be sure to get signed up for that soon. Their website is: https://treca.org/programs/summer-school 

SAT Results

Juniors, your SAT scores from the March in-school testing day have been released. Hopefully you have already received an email directly from CollegeBoard to share this news. But you can now log into your CollegeBoard account to see your scores. 

I also have access to your scores, but I can just see the number whereas when you go into your CollegeBoard account it will give you a greater breakdown of how you did to help you determine where you might want to focus for future testing opportunities.

Remember, statistically speaking, students who repeat the tests perform better on them. So if you're not thrilled with your scores, you may want to go ahead and sign up now for an upcoming ACT or SAT test date. We saw issues last year where students had to drive to areas pretty far outside of central Ohio in order to be able to get a testing seat because they waited too long in order to register to test.

Common App Essays

The Common Application has announced that their essay question prompts for next year will remain the same. In case you don't know, Common Application is an application website that many colleges use allowing students to fill out one application that can then be submitted to various colleges and is one of the primary methods that students will utilize when applying to college. 

Juniors, you can take a look at these prompts and start brainstorming what your answers might be for each question. After you list your thoughts for each question, look at which response best allows you to tell the story of who you are and will be the best introduction of you to the admissions committee.  Then it is time to start drafting and editing and drafting some more.  :-)  

Students who utilize the common app will be asked to select and answer one question in 250-650 words. (Please don't worry about word count on your first draft - it is always MUCH easier to cut words than it is to try to add more in later.)

Below are the common app essay questions to help you get started: 

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and new understanding of yourself or others.

6.  Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

7.  Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Also, don't forget that Wednesday morning (April 8th) we will host our Essay Brainstorming Workshop in Room 205 at 10am to help you prepare for writing your essays. We hope to see you there!

This Week's Schedule

How was your spring break? Are you ready to be back at school? We have a busy, unique week ahead which will be a challenge for some and a nice transition for others. Sophomores are going to be testing all week. Freshmen and juniors will likely have some days of testing and some days of sleeping in and seniors get to enjoy the mornings off for the week.

Ohio State End of Course Tests:

This week we will have late starts for the Ohio State required End of Course tests. We will be on a modified bell schedule where you have classes from 12:25-3:20. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday you will go to your 1st through 4th period classes. On Tuesday and Thursday you will go to 5th through 8th period classes.

On Monday and Tuesday, students will take the English 2 End of Course test which contains 2 parts. Part 1 will be completed on Monday and Part 2 will be taken on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, students will take the Biology End of Course test.

On Thursday, students will take the US History test.

On Friday, students will take both sections of the Algebra 1 or the Math 2 End of Course tests.

Here is a link to find the bell schedule for the week. Good luck to everyone who will be testing! And please, remember to bring your fully charged chromebook with you to school for testing!

If you are not testing, remember that buses will run 90 minutes later than normal. You will have some down time before lunch and then lunch will be offered from 11:30-12:20 for all students.

College Essay Workshop:

On Wednesday, we will be hosting the essay brainstorming workshop from 10-11:30am in Room 205 for juniors who are planning to apply to a 4-year college in the future.  Please be sure to sign up if you plan to attend.  The link has been included on the email that was sent to you and it is also on the Counselor Website and you can sign up there - www.wkhscounselors.com. We hope to see all juniors for this workshop!

Spring Break College Visits

No matter what grade you are in and what plans you have established for spring break, I'd like to encourage you to consider adding in at least one (if not more) college visits to your agenda.

For seniors, many colleges are in session during our break and so this is an ideal time to be able to visit the campuses of your top choices. Being able to compare your college choices and to make sure you are finding the school which will be your best fit before the May 1st decision deadline is helpful. You can also consider making an overnight visit at the colleges for a different opportunity that you have probably not had a chance to do thus far.

For freshmen through juniors, making college visits is a beneficial opportunity to start identifying what aspects you like most and least in a college. You will have the chance to actually walk around on a campus and imagine yourself being there in the future. People watch, explore opportunities, investigate academics, and engage with the admissions staff to help guide you in your future college application plans.  

If you are planning to be in town, there are lots of local colleges that you can visit easily. If you will be traveling over break, you can still make college visits wherever you find yourself during break. Chances are good that there are colleges near or along your destination and even if it is not a school that you are considering for the future, it still gives you the chance to get another view of colleges... and this can be incredibly valuable as you ultimately determine what you want or don't want in a school.

AI & College Admissions

There is no area that is changing faster and growing more rapidly than the influence of AI in college admissions. It is the area where we are watching the most webinars, reading the most articles, and listening to the more podcasts about over any other aspect of college admissions. 

Can AI be a useful tool in supporting your college admissions process? Absolutely.

Can AI be mis-used and therefore hinder your college applications? Absolutely.

And that is why it is a tricky area. 

Tomorrow, all junior students are invited to attend the Junior Seminar on AI & Admissions where we will spend 20 minutes talking about appropriate use of AI in applications. Juniors, as a reminder, the seminars take place before school from 8:15-8:35 in Room 201. We hope to see you tomorrow morning for this workshop!

There are some colleges that say students must cite any AI resource used in any aspect of their application. There are others that know AI can be a helpful tool in researching, brainstorming, or giving feedback. And nearly all colleges would say that you should absolutely NOT use AI to write your essay or complete your application as a whole.

The best rule of thumb we have seen and heard related to appropriate AI use in your applications is that if you would not ask a human such as your parent, teacher or counselor to do something for you then you should not be asking AI to do it for you! I think that is a key way to help reframe thinking about AI and your applications.

AI and applications is an exciting, interesting area of growth and we will all continue to learn together.

Final CC+ Reminder

All students looking to earn free college credit in classes next year MUST turn in the College Credit Plus intent to participate form by April 1st!  This is a firm deadline established by the State of Ohio and we cannot extend it. Since we are not in school after March 27th it is really important to be sure you get your forms turned in to us before spring break!  

Just as a reminder, this is what gives you the chance to take CC+ classes next year on the college campus, online, taught by college instructors at WKHS (English, Psychology, Government, Sociology, Ethics), and/or the regular WKHS classes taught by the WKHS teachers which can get you college credit for the exact same class you may have already signed up to take (Pre-Calculus, Honors Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB).  

If you have any questions about College Credit Plus - stop and see us or watch the video on the counselor website.  (www.wkhscounselors.com).  The intent to participate form packets which includes the video sign-off forms are also available on the counselor website.